Hardwood Refinishing in Mechanicsville

Hardwood floors are one of the most popular flooring options for homeowners. However, they require maintenance to keep up with their natural beauty. If it has been 20 years since your floors have been refinished, or if your floors have seen rain damage or other issues, you might want to consider discussing the refinishing process with a flooring expert at L&M Carpet One.

How do I know if my floors need to be refinished?

There is a simple test that you can do at home. Place a drop of water on your hardwood floor’s surface. If the water beads on the surface, then refinishing is not yet necessary. But, if the water is absorbed into the floor’s surface, then refinishing is needed. We do want to highlight that if the drop of water is consumed immediately, then it’s important to have the floors refinished as soon as possible.

The Process of Hardwood Refinishing

The first step in hardwood floor refinishing is the most arduous. Floors are sanded down to bare wood. Floor sanding takes some physical strength to move the sanding machine, but the most important thing during this step is to keep it running, so the experts doing the job don’t sand too deep in spots. An edge sander is needed to remove finish from areas near the wall. It is important to remove sawdust and dust from finish between the removal of different layers and the use of various grits of sandpaper.

Once the finish is removed from the floors, it is essential to get every bit of dust off of the floor before the floor is sealed and covered with polyurethane.

Next, the sealer is applied to the floor. Usually, the sealer takes at least two hours to dry. After this, the floor is ready for the topcoat of polyurethane. Most polyurethane is water-based now which is easier to apply and still looks great. The polyurethane will need to dry for at least two hours before a second coat is applied to the floor, then, after it has dried you will need to add a third layer, in most instances the final coat of polyurethane.

Undoubtedly, it is a good thing that this process does not have to be done very often as refinishing hardwood floors take a lot of labor and is time consuming. We firmly recommend relying on a professional for this task. Each hardwood floor is unique, so refinishing is often a complicated process requiring an experienced professional. For more information about the process, contact us here and one of our experts will reach out.